The Hønen runestone

The runestone was found on a field at the Hønen farm in Ringerike Norway in approximately 1815. Mr L.D Klüwer painted the runes in 1823. The painting seen here is
a copy of Klüwer's painting made by amtmann W.F.K. Christie
in 1838 and is the only known copy today. The runestone dissapeared from the Hønen farm between 1828-34 after some years service as a animal saltstone. The Klüwer painting dissapeared sometime in the 1840's. The measurements of the stone was approximately Heigth=125,5 cm X Width=20,9 cm X depth=10,5 cm. The way the runes are written dates the inscription to approximately 1050. Click on the painting for a larger view.

Sophus Bugge's 1902 translation of the runes.

Sophus Bugge's Norse and Danish translations of the runes.

Magnus Olsen's 1951 Norse and Norwegian translations of the runes. Olsen links the runestone to Finn Fegin's wrecking in the East Greenland shores in approximately 1050. Finn and his men built some cabins called Finnsbudir after the wrecking, but later they all died and were found by Lika-Lodin. Olsen thinks the messages on the Hønen runestone possibly could have been written by Finn Fegin and his men before they all died. Finn Fegin was the daugtherson of Sigurd Syr which lived in the area around the Hønen farm.

Erik Wahlgren's English translation from 1986 says 'They came out and over wide expanses, and needing cloth to dry themselves in and food, away towards Wineland, up into the ice in the uninhabited country. Evil can take away luck, so that one dies early.'

Max Vinner's English translation from 1993 says 'They went out over the sea, and they travelled far and wide. They lacked cloth (for drying themselves), and they lacked food. Away towards Vinland, and towards the ice in the evil
settlement. Evil can take away good fortune so that one dies young.'

Three runestones were found at the Tanberg farm (which is situated next to Hønen) between 1810-1820. Only one of them (Tanberg 1) are still preserved. The two other stones were lost shortly after, but L.D Klüwer painted the runes before they got lost. A fourth one was found at the farm in the 1860's. This one is still preserved. The first three Tanberg runestones and the Hønen runestone were found within an area were also a lot of old roofing tiles, bricks and human bones has been found. Old documents tells about a small church from the earliest christian period in Norway in this area called Tanberg kirkja. Click on the Tanberg 1 runestone picture to read more about the Tanberg runestones.